Web Site Category

This year NHD is requiring that all web site entries are created through their online portal at www.nhd.org. Here in the NHD-Ohio office our intern, Lola, created a sample web site and provided some insight on creating a web site entry with the new software:

http://76493248.nhd.weebly.com/

Designing a website through the NHD Website Portal using Weebly Editor is so easy and fun that anyone can do it. The designing process simply consists of the designer choosing whatever design or element they like, dragging it to the desired location, and dropping it at that location.
Creating pages on the website is also a cinch. The designer simply selects the title “New Page,” adds a “Page Name”, and begins to build the page with any element they choose. The elements contain a combination of words and pictures.
I think the best part of the NHD Website Portal using Weebly Editor is the multimedia section. The multimedia section offers a variety of choices such as the photo gallery, the audio player, and YouTube video. All of these choices make the website come alive and it becomes more interesting and interactive.
My overall designing experience of a NHD Website using Weebly Editor is definitely a good one and I would recommend it for students and teachers who want to include it as part of the History Day format. The process offers you a chance of choosing, managing, and learning something new with no intimidation at all.

Analyzing Photographs at Robinson G. Jones School

Thursday was our final school visit, for this week at least. We met with the 7th and 8th graders at Robinson G. Jones School in Cleveland. The students were great listeners as they learned all about History Day. They also participated in an activity analyzing photographs and thinking about possible topics and the impacts inventions have had on society. Below is an example of one of the photographs the students examined, along with the questions they answered. How would you answer them?



What is the invention?
What are the positive impacts of this invention on society?
Are there any negative consequences?
Have there been innovations or improvements to this invention over time?



(at this point I have to give a nod to Mrs. Reidel's afternoon class and the monkeys on the stoplights!)

What is important to learn from this activity is that when choosing a topic for History Day and when putting together your project, you have to remember the "Impact and Change" part of the theme this year. Make sure you demonstrate why the innovation was significant or important to society.

History Day tour of Northern Ohio!

History Day staff has been on a tour of schools in Northern Ohio this week, starting in Norwalk. There we met with students at Norwalk Catholic and introduced them to History Day and the types of projects they could do. We also discussed primary sources and the types of materials they could use for their projects. The students came up with a great list of primary sources they might leave behind in 100 years: report cards, birth certificates, newspapers, diaries, pictures, letters, and many more. All of these would be great primary sources to look for when researching projects as well.

Next, we headed to Jeromesville Ohio to visit the 8th grade students at Hillsdale MS. Most of the students have picked topics and are ready to start researching- the fun stuff! We discussed using various ways/ terms to search for your topic online. For example, one student chose the Beatles as a topic. Instead of simply searching the "Beatles" you could search: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, the history of Rock and Roll, Apple Records, their songs, and don't forget the time period to understand the context! So remember to think of different ways, people, or terms to search for your topic.

Our third stop was to East Technical HS in Cleveland where we met with a group of ninth graders who will be participating in History Day this year. We talked to them about interpreting primary sources and the information you can learn from them. The students helped us interpret this political cartoon:

Some of the things they noticed in the picture were: the small kids pushing at the door, the words "School Segregation" and "inch by inch," and the light behind the large door. The students concluded the cartoonist was making the point that the kids couldn't push through segregation on their own and that desegregation was not going to happen fast if they did not receive help.

Thank you to all of the teachers for letting us present to your classes and to the students for listening and learning about History Day. It's been a fun week so far. One more school to visit tomorrow, then we'l be heading back to Columbus!